This time around, I'll be rambling on my thoughts about the idea of a Christian's responsibility in terms of what kind of art should be attached to our names, which was the topic of discussion last week.

This is a subject I have dealt with and thought over a good deal to be honest. I grew up on "Christian music." As I was reaching the end of my teenage years, I stopped stressing over how I did not fit in to our typical American Christian youth culture and instead began to feel quite disturbed at how shallow it really is. We thrive on praise and worship songs which begin to sound all the same to me as musical and lyrical depth seem to be absent. Why should stringing a bunch of "praise Him" and "holy holy holy" phrases together with a generic upbeat melody have anything to do with my relationship with God? People down here on planet earth are living, hurting, loving, and being forgotten and ignored. Now there is some inspiration for powerful art that brings pleasure to God.

Another example of this idea of what is truely "Christian art" has come up in my life. When I create an image with a cross in it, like the one I did for my church pictured here, I feel a strong reception and encouragement. However, other images I create, which are more powerful artistically and emotionally in my eyes, never seem to enter into the discussion. I have wondered why I tend to get the feeling from time to time that the difference between amazement and indifference in reactions to my images depends soley on whether I spend a few minutes to place a cross in it or not. Should the significance of my art really depend on that?

Here is one final personal thought on this issue. When I am writing stories, I find myself trying to figure out what kind of overall message I want my piece to portray as well as how I will accomplish that through the story. When it comes to my faith in God affecting how I write my stories, I have struggled with what is the best road to take. In the end, the most fundamental issue is crafting a strong story that reaches out to the humanity of the audience in the way that I want it to. If I create a story or an image that gives me inspiration and could inspire others, then I have to believe that God is smiling down on me. Although, I suppose throwing in a 'praise Him' and a 'holy holy holy' or two couldn't hurt.